Tua Tagovailoa injury: Nick Saban expresses concern for Miami Dolphins QB

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa returns to the field on Sunday for the team’s Week 8 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. Clearing concussion protocol following yet another head injury last month that came with jarring symptoms that had the entire football landscape concerned.

Tagovailoa’s concussion history and return to the field has been one of the most talked-about recent topics across all sports, and one that his former college head coach Nick Saban discussed Friday during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.

“I’m concerned that I want Tua to be safe and healthy and not have a football career that’s going to impact him down the road number one,” Saban said. “Number two is I think organizationally this is a medical decision, this is not an organization decision. People look at him and say, ‘Why are they letting him play?’ I think the doctors make that decision, it’s a medical decision.”

In Week 2, Tagovailoa suffered his third diagnosed concussion in two years. The first dating back to 2022 when he demonstrated a fencing response and was stretchered off the field against the Cincinnati Bengals with subsequent head injuries that were also followed by obvious side effects. A history that has many believing Tagovailoa should step away from the game entirely despite continuing to clear concussion protocol and be cleared by independent neurologists.

“For him it becomes personal then as to, I really want to play, I’m a competitor, I love playing, I want to play. So he has to make a decision, is the risk-reward from a medical standpoint worth it to you?” Saban asked. “And I think all those things are in play now. If he wants to play, which I’ve talked to him and I know he wants to play, I know what kind of competitor he is. Then I’m happy for him that he’s having the opportunity to play, but I also pray for him that he doesn’t have any issues.”

Tagovailoa also suffered from a concussion in college at Alabama along with several other injuries like a broken nose, a dislocated and fractured hip, and a high ankle sprain that required surgery. An injury history that Saban partially attributed to his style of play.

“I think one thing about Tua, and I always tried to reiterate this, every time he got hurt at Bama, there was not a play to be made and he tried to make a play … I think there’s a way that you have to play your position at quarterback. That there’s a time when you got to know, you got to give up on the play,” Saban explained.

“I mean, you want to play with toughness. I admire his grit, I admire his toughness, his mental toughness,” he added. “But you also have to know when hey, I need to slide. I don’t need to take a hit so that I can continue to be able to play and be healthy and not put myself at risk. I do think that’s important for him.”

Following his concussions in 2022 Tagovailoa began practicing jiu-jitsu, learning how to fall in a manner that would avoid further concussions. But with his medical history continuing to lengthen and public concern only continuing to increase, there’s no doubt that his career will continue being looked at through a distinctive, sensitive lens.